ANTALYA
MUSEUM, HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ITEMS
Antalya Museum : Founded in 1922 by Süleyman Fikri
Erten and housed first in the Alaaddin Mosque in the old
city and then in the Yivli Minaret, the museum was later
moved to its current location. The museum consists of 12
exhibit rooms and its gardens and open galleries. In these
halls the history of Antalya is given in a chronological
and instructive fashion starting with the first humans and
continuing without interruption to the modern era.
Museum Tel: (+90-242) 238 56 88-89
Detailed Information
Kaleici : Today the historical old city of Antalya known
as Kaleici (the inner castle) is surrounded by two walls,
most of which have fallen down. The inner wall encloses
the harbour in a semicircle. As a result of restoration,
Kaleici has turned into a major tourist centre with guest-houses,
bars, shops and restaurants, and the Roman harbour has been
turned into a modern, well-equipped marina. As a result
of the restoration work, the Ministry of Tourism was awarded
the Golden Apple (Tourism Oscar) in April 1984 by FIJET.
Antalya Museum : Founded in 1922 by Suleyman Fikri Erten
and housed first in the Alaaddin Mosque in the old city
and then in the Yivli Minaret, the museum was later moved
to its current location 2 km further east. The museum consists
of 12 exhibition rooms and its gardens and open galleries.
In these halls the history of Antalya is given in chronological
order, starting with fossils, through the Stone and Bronze
ages, then through the classical and Hellenistic periods.
There are mosaics, the Gallery of the Gods, Phrygian ornaments,
and a room with Christian art that includes pieces of the
skull and jawbone of St Nicholas, the original Santa Claus.
The ethnography section has a collection of Iznik ceramics,
household implements and weapons. Museum Tel:(+90-242) 238
56 88-89
The City Walls : What remains today are a few bastions inside
the city as well as Hadrian's Gate and its towers, the large
tower facing the harbour and a few pieces of the harbour
walls. One of the walls surrounds the yacht harbour and
the other the city, almost like horseshoe. One of the remaining
towers in the Castle Gate Square is now used as a clock
tower. There are four gates in the city walls, which form
entrances to the city.
Hadrian's Gate : The only city gate to have survived until
the present day is the most attractive of the Pamphylia:
Uckapilar (Three Gates), also known as Hadrian's Gate, which
is guarded by one tower on either side. Built to honour
the emperor Hadrian's visit to the city in 130 AD, the whole
gate, except for the columns, is made of pure white marble.
The reliefs and carvings are extraordinary.
Old Houses of Antalya : With its hot summers and mild winters,
the houses in Antalya are designed to provide protection
not against the chill of winter but against the merciless
heat of summer. The stone overhangs and courtyards help
provide air circulation. The houses in Antalya can be divided
into three types based upon the design of the main hall,
which also serves as a storage area. The three types are
I halls, L halls and U halls. In the design of these houses,
great attention was paid to meeting the necessities of daily
life, while also providing harmony with nature and the environment.
Perge : Situated 18 km east of Antalya, Perge is in the
city limits of Aksu Bucagi. Because of its location on the
Cilicia - Pisidia road, it was a vital part of the province
of Pamphylia, and was founded around the same time as the
other cities in the area (7th century BC). It was an important
city for Christians of Perge who had worshipped the mother
goddess Artemis. St. Paul and Barnabas visited the city
and wealthy benefactors like Magna Plancia had a number
of important memorials built here.
The first excavations began in 1946 by Istanbul University
and they resulted in many important discoveries: The theatre
consists of three main sections: the seating, orchestra
and stage. It held 12,000 spectators, with 19 rows of seats
on the lower section, 23 on the top section, and a 52-metre
stage.
The stadium measures 34 square metres, with 13 rows of
seats on top of the vaults. The eastern and western sides
have 30 vaults each and the northern side has 10. For every
three vaults there is an entrance to the stadium, and the
other two were used as shops.
The Agora was the commercial and political centre of the
city, with shops surrounding the central courtyard, some
of which have mosaics on the floor. The agora measured 76
square metres, with a circular structure in the centre with
a diameter of 13.40 metres.
The colonnaded boulevard lies between the Hellenistic Gate
and the nympheum on the slopes of the acropolis. On both
sides of the street, 20 metres in width, are porticoes,
some up to five meters high, behind which are shops. The
street is divided into two by a 2-metre wide water canal
running through the middle.
Other structures include the necropolis, city walls, gymnasium,
Roman Baths, memorial fountain and the Greek and Roman gates.
Termessos : The ruined city of Termessos, lying 34km west
of Antalya in a rugged mountain valley, was founded by the
Solymi people, from the interior of Anatolia. Among the
important remains are the 4200-seat theatre and the Roman
stele that Augustus had built at the beginning of the first
century AD. The Odeon, the covered meeting hall, has seating
for 600 people. The five inter-connecting underground cisterns
were used for the storage of water and olive oil.
Other important remains include the Agora, with an open
western side and other sides colonnaded; the heroic memorial
of Hereon on top of a 6-metre high platform; the Corinthian-style
temple, the Temple of Zeus, the Lesser and Greater Temples
of Artemis, the gymnasium and the watch towers. In addition,
there are more than 1200 rock tombs.
Olympos : Lying between Kemer and Adrasan is the ancient
harbour village of Cirali, the ruins of Olympos and the
site of the Chimaera. The history of Olympos dates back
to the 2nd century BC when it was an important Lycian city,
although it was empty by the 6th century. The Olympians
worshipped Hephaestos (Vulcan) the god of fire, probably
connected to the eternal flame, or Chimaera, which still
emerges from the mountain. Known also as Yanartas (burning
stone), the flame is caused by the burning of natural gas
emerging from the mountain. Apart from the ruins, Olympos
is well known for its simple treehouse camps, where most
tourists stay, and a natural environment thanks to forests
and vineyards near to a beautiful beach.
Ariassos : The ancient remains of Ariassos, around 50km
from Antalya, are located on a slope and contain baths and
rock tombs.
Phaselis : On the coast, 60km south of Antalya, Phaselis
was founded by the Rhodians in the 7th century BC, and was
known as the most important seaport in Eastern Lycia. On
the west of the city is Hadrian's Gate, with shops and baths
on either side. The city is accessible both by road and
sea.
Limyra : Believed to have been in existence since the 5th
century, Limyra is still in existence despite a massive
earthquake in the mid 19th century although was emptied
in the 7th and 9th centuries after the Arab invasions. The
city, which is 11km south, composes of three section; the
acropolis, areas of settlement, and necropolis.
Arycanda : Excavations of this city reveal that it probably
existed from the 5th century BC, and controlled much of
the Arycanda valley. Having survived a destructive earthquake
in 240 AD, the city maintained its prominence until the
11th century, and its most important structures still survive
today.
Demre (Myra) : Demre was one of the most important cities
of the Lycian civilisation. 25km west of Finike and 48km
east of Kas, Demre was a place of settlement from the 5th
century BC. The city was deserted in 9 A.D after the invasions
of the Arabs. Rock tombs, theatres and the Church of St.
Nicholas (said to be the original Santa Claus) are the most
interesting sites in the town today.
Simena (Kale) : Receiving its beauty from its history, sea
and sun, Simena is accessible from Ucagiz. The submerged
city and the ancient remains at the opposite island of Kekova
island, make it a worthwhile trip. There are traces of Roman
and other civilisations in Simena, the history of which
dates back to Lycian civilisation. There is a small theatre
carved into the rock, and Roman city walls.
Side: Manavgat-Side
Aspendos: The ancient city, 48km east of Antalya, is most
famous for its theatre, probably the best preserved in Asia
Minor. It is still in use today, and stages the annual Aspendos
Opera and Ballet Festival every summer. It was the scene
of a huge bloody battle between the Persians and the Greeks
in 469 BC, and then ruled by the Spartans 120 years later.
The city became part of the Seleucid kingdom after the death
of Alexander the Great, and then became part of the Roman
province of Asia in 133 BC.
The famous theatre was built in the 2nd century AD, using
a Roman design, and it is still intact. Ataturk was responsible
for much of the restoration, who after visiting it declared
that it should be used as a theatre rather than simply a
museum.
In addition to the theatre, there is an acropolis on a
hilltop, of which the nymphaeum and basilica are still fairly
intact.
Opening hours: Summer 08.00 - 19.00; Winter 08.00 - 17.30.
Serik Ýlçesi-Aspendos
Kekova : It is between Kaþ-Demre. It is an ancient
submerged city 500 m far from the Üçaðýz
Village in Mediterranean.
Patara : It is on Kalkan-Fethiye road,nearly 10 km before
Kalkan and is located at the south.. The colorful ceramics
in the center of the city reveal that the history of the
city reaches back to 5 B.C. Besides its being the birth
place of St. Nicholas,it was one of the most important seaports
during the times of Alexander the Great. Three gated city
walls,one of which leads to Patara, was constructed by the
governor Modestus in 110 . One of the most important remnants
is the theater currently buried under the crystal clear
sandy beaches of Patara.
Xanthos : Founded on the Xanthos river basin,Xanthos is
the biggest and the most ancient city of Lycia. Having being
remained independent till the invasions of the Persians
in 4292 B.C,Xanthos tried hard to defend against the invasions;however,
upon realizing the remote victory the people of Xanthos
first murdered their women then commited suicide as a whole.Afterwards
80 family imigrating to the region refounded the city but
approximately 100 years later the city was totally destroyed
by a great fire. Reesatblished city thenceforth strengtened
its connection with west and became an important center.Still
the city can not be saved from misfortune. Upon resisting
to the taxes of the Roman Brutus, the city was ruined and
the people were dragged into war. And Xanthos became the
city of catastrophe.
The city was founded around center of Lycia and outside
it were the remnants of Roman city center. Roman theater
and the findings at the west side of the theater still attracts
the visitors. Harpy memorial on the rocks is one of the
most important traces. Only the duplication of the work
of art, the original of which is on exhibit in British Museum
in England,can be seen in the region.
Kaþ (Antiphellos) : One of the Lycian towns,Kaþ
took its name from the Greek word "Phellos" meaning
stony place. With its well preserved rock tombs and theater,
Kaþ is a wonderful town on the Mediterranean coast.
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